What you need to know
- Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that Meta’s Threads app is now available in the European Union.
- The EU’s Digital Markets Act forced the company to postpone the launch of the app in the region due to regulatory uncertainty revolving around how the app would use personal data.
- Users can also delete their Threads account independent of their Instagram accounts.
Remember Meta’s Twitter-like competitor, Threads? While the platform has been widely available across most countries since its launch, the European Union was restricted from accessing it (at least until now).
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg recently took to his official Threads to announce that the platform is now widely available across the European Union, according to a spot by the folks over at Neowin. If you recall, Threads didn’t ship to users in the EU at launch; instead, it was postponed due to regulatory uncertainty revolving around how the app would use personal data.
As you might already know, Threads’ data privacy disclosure categorically states that the platform can collect personal data from users, including finances, search history, health, location, and other vital details. Moreover, it can also share private information such as a user’s sexual orientation, race, religious and political beliefs, and more with third parties.
This goes against the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which features provisions that limit/restrict the sharing of user data across multiple platforms. Meta has seemingly addressed the concerns highlighted by the EU while launching Threads, which is why it’s available in the European Union now.
Users are also now free to delete their Threads independently from their Instagram accounts. This was a significant issue at launch, as many users quickly signed up without reading through the fine print and only learned about the caveat after the fact.
Additionally, it’s also possible to access the platform without having an account. However, you’ll need to sign up to interact and engage with posts and other users on the platform.
Will Threads take Twitter/X’s spot?
You must’ve noticed drastic changes if you’ve followed X’s (formerly Twitter) trajectory, especially after Elon Musk’s takeover. I particularly hated the cap placed a while back that limited the posts a user would see/engage. Although the change has since been reverted, it’s all quickly getting old.
Consequently, many companies have lost interest, causing them to pull down their ads from X. Users also post less. As such, this is a golden opportunity that Threads should seize and create a one-stop point where businesses, organizations, and regular users can come together to have conversations, share ideas, and more.
Do you think Threads has the potential to subdue X? Share your thoughts in the comments.
